The Age of Unreason [Paperback]

Charles Handy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1991

In an era when change is constant, random, and, as Handy calls it, discontinuous, it is necessary to break out of old ways of thinking in order to use change to our advantage. Handy examines how dramatic changes are transforming business, education, and the nature of work. We can see it in astounding new developments in technology, in the shift in demand from manual to cerebral skills, and in the virtual disappearance of lifelong, full-time jobs. Handy maintains that discontinuous change requires discontinuous, upside-down thinking, and discusses the need for new kinds of organizations, new approaches to work, new types of schools, and new ideas about the nature of our society.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Handy, a British specialist in organizational management, predicts that the 21st century will be the Age of Unreason. In an era when changes in business and society will be "discontinuous" or patternless, he suggests that our thinking must become discontinuous or "unreasonable" in order to use such changes to our advantage. While his thesis is generally in line with strategists like Tom Peters ( In Search of Excellence, LJ 2/15/83), Handy focuses more on the philosophy, rather than the mechanics, of adaptive change in society. His examples from the business world are interestingly extended to social institutions like marriage and family. Nicely written, this should be popular with open-minded management types. A good addition to management collections.
-Mark L. Shelton, Columbus, Ohio
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Named one of "The 25 Most Influential Business Management Books" by TIME Magazine (TIME.com)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press; 1 edition (February 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875843018
• ISBN-13: 978-0875843018
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #344,514 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life-changing, July 25, 2000

By 

Mr. Ian Pring (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Age of Unreason (Paperback)

I read this book as part of an MBA programme, but it's far, far more than a business book. In a series of self-examination exercises, Handy teaches how we can all reassess our lives and change the way we live and work. All this is achieved in a slim, matter-of-fact volume that puts many other business and management books (as well as the slew of self-help literature) to shame, with its erudition and the well-read eclecticism of its author. Maybe half a dozen books in a lifetime make you change the way you think. If this isn't one of them, there's no hope for you.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiration for the soul, April 22, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Age of Unreason (Paperback)

Handy's reasonable tome unveils an argument for becoming questioning, seeking, unreasonable individuals. Written several years ago, Handy's ability to forecast the direction in which businesses are moving (adopting 'cores' and contracting out much of the work) is fascinating. I wonder what I would have thought of this book 8 years ago when it was first published. 'Is he for real?' Charles Handy is very real and so is the future about which he writes

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't take it *too* literally., November 28, 2001

By 

frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: The Age of Unreason (Paperback)

I had to both laugh at and give a helpful vote to the review below which accused the author of citing half-baked fragments of myths and anecdotes as evidence. To a certain degree, it's a fair cop, particularly if you're looking for a book which is going to really stunningly predict the future.

_The Age of Unreason_ isn't about predicting the future, it's about training yourself to look at the future in ways that you might otherwise not have done. As such, I found it a valuable and interesting book which is clearly based in a lot of meditation on learning and learning theories.

Some of the things Handy mentioned turned out to have become true since the book was written. Other things didn't-- but it doesn't matter ultimately. What the book asks is this: Can you recognize the real causes for pain that you identify? Can you think differently to force discontinuous change? Is your vision of the future based on an accurate perception of the past, or are you looking past major factors because you don't recognize the role of gradual change?

People who like this book may like some of the books on developing strategies using scenario exercises. This book also contains a decent (if dated) bibliography.